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Countdown Signals For Red Light Cameras?

The Chicago red light camera at the start of Lake Shore Drive, at Hollywood Avenue and Sheridan Road. (Credit: CBS)

CHICAGO (CBS) — Drivers in Chicago could soon have a few more seconds to slow down and avoid tickets from red light cameras.

As CBS 2’s Kris Habermehl reports, Ald. Ray Suarez (31st) has introduced an ordinance requiring countdown signals at intersections where those cameras are installed, to stop drivers from slamming on their brakes.

Anxiety at getting caught by a red light camera often prompts drivers to slam on the brakes, which critics say causes even more accidents.

The problem, Habermehl says, is that installing a visible countdown clock could lead to anxious drivers speeding through at the 3-second mark, or looking at the countdown clock instead of traffic.

In total, there are 189 camera-equipped red light intersections within the city limits.